Occasionally Auckland Sketchbook escapes the city to somewhere interesting — and close. This time the sketchbook got a workout in The Bay of Islands . Only 3.5 hours by car and a world away from work. The sketch above was made in down-town Paihia, it doesn't look it, but it is literally behind the main street. The view is the back of an old homestead called Williams House . I was attracted by the orchard of very old fig trees on the left that had me imagining eating juicy ripe figs. Sadly they weren't in season but it must be a fun place at harvest time. Right over the other side of the bay you will find his falling down old house on Matauwhi Bay. For a while there the water had a turquoise glow until the sun went into hiding. This is Pompallier House and Clendon Cottage in Russell sketched with my back to the sea. I may have used a little too much artistic licence in moving them close enough together to fit on my page so don't look too closely. Anyway, I have sketched Po...
Today marks 400 years since the death of the great English playwright, poet and actor and it seems William Shakespeare – or at least his works – are alive and well at the bottom of the world.
When I sketched the 'Pop-up Globe' today it was packed to the rafters for a matinee performance of Twelfth Night. This full size replica of the second Globe Theatre (the one that was built on the ruins of the original in 1614) has been booked near it's 900 seat capacity for every session since it opened in February. In fact it's been so successful that the season has been extended – twice. That's apparently something like 70,000 punters in just a few months - not bad for some 400 year old shows – and in a city that usually prefers it's rugby over theatre too.
When I first heard that work on a 'pop-up' Globe had commenced in a carpark behind the Town Hall, I was totally skeptical - what a mad idea! So I went down for a look. I was surprised that after only a few days of work progress was well underway. The site was crawling with workers in orange high viz vests busily constructing what looked like a giant Meccano set. Described as 'cutting-edge technology combined with 400 year old design' the structure is almost entirely built from scaffolding. The site is sloped, so huge concrete slabs were being lowered into place to hold the whole thing down and stop it sliding down the hill. Finally it was clothed in corrugated iron.
If the construction materials sound a bit temporary don't forget the theatre is sitting in a council carpark – and they want their carpark back. Sadly the whole thing wraps up in early May so you better be quick if you want to catch a show. Here are some rough sketches below of the construction in action...
When I sketched the 'Pop-up Globe' today it was packed to the rafters for a matinee performance of Twelfth Night. This full size replica of the second Globe Theatre (the one that was built on the ruins of the original in 1614) has been booked near it's 900 seat capacity for every session since it opened in February. In fact it's been so successful that the season has been extended – twice. That's apparently something like 70,000 punters in just a few months - not bad for some 400 year old shows – and in a city that usually prefers it's rugby over theatre too.
When I first heard that work on a 'pop-up' Globe had commenced in a carpark behind the Town Hall, I was totally skeptical - what a mad idea! So I went down for a look. I was surprised that after only a few days of work progress was well underway. The site was crawling with workers in orange high viz vests busily constructing what looked like a giant Meccano set. Described as 'cutting-edge technology combined with 400 year old design' the structure is almost entirely built from scaffolding. The site is sloped, so huge concrete slabs were being lowered into place to hold the whole thing down and stop it sliding down the hill. Finally it was clothed in corrugated iron.
If the construction materials sound a bit temporary don't forget the theatre is sitting in a council carpark – and they want their carpark back. Sadly the whole thing wraps up in early May so you better be quick if you want to catch a show. Here are some rough sketches below of the construction in action...
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